1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a storage medium. More specifically, the present invention relates to the image processing apparatus and the image processing method capable of preferably reproducing a metallic texture on a recording medium, and the storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the image processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A printing apparatus for printing color characters and color images on a recording medium such as a recording sheet and a film includes an ink jet printing apparatus and an electro-photographic printing apparatus. For example, the ink jet printing apparatus can form an image on a recording medium by applying a color ink as a chromatic color material. Further, the electro-photographic printing apparatus can form an image on a recording medium by using a color toner as a chromatic color material.
In recent years, images formed on a recording medium through a printing apparatus have been diversified. Such images include, for example, an image having a metallic texture of gold or silver and an image expressed by a metallic color. With the increased diversification of images, there has been an increased demand for a printing method or a printing apparatus capable of reproducing a metallic texture and a metallic color on a recording medium.
A method in which printing processing is executed by using a gold toner and a silver toner, discussed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 03-041075, has been known as a method for reproducing a metallic texture on a recording medium.
However, according to the method described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 03-041075, a gold toner or a silver toner, which is relatively hard to be handled, must be used in order to reproduce a metallic texture on a recording medium, and thus the metallic texture and the metallic color cannot be easily reproduced on a recording medium.